The two grandmas surrounding their children
Last week, I wrote about philosopher and businessman Stanley Schuckman’s emphasis on the importance of family, and this weekend was proof of what a blessing that is.
My stepson, Jon Yunis, a surgeon in Sarasota, and his beautiful wife, Hilary, celebrated the Bat Mitzvah of their daughter Jillian at Temple Emanu-El in Sarasota. It was a wonderful time to gather the clan and bring people together who love each other but see each other rarely because we are spread all over the country. And what a celebration it was!
My daughter Samantha, her husband Spencer, my son Josh and grandson Hudson joined me.
My late husband, Stu, had four children, nine grandchildren, and two great-granddaughters. The Yunis clan has grown!
Harvey, a Rice professor, was joined by his daughter Judith and her gorgeous and fabulous twin daughters and their spouses and his son Jacob. It’s been years since I’ve seen the Eastons (Robin Yunis), and their boys have grown up to be kind, handsome men. It was fabulous to see Mimi Yunis and her husband, Jim Broner, and their magnificent boys, Sam and Ben.
Jillian had friends and family who came to the party, but before that, we celebrated with a prayer service led by Rabbi Brenner J. Glickman, a charismatic leader who led Jillian through her Bat Mitzvah.
She has grown into an elegant, beautiful young woman who brilliantly read Hebrew from the Torah and spoke eloquently about the power of forgiveness, which she learned from the Bible and has made a part of her life.
At the service, her mother spoke about her relationship with her daughter, recognizing that Jillian is a quiet, reserved, shy person and she is an egregious one; they are the “yin and yang” of each other and best friends. This points out how someone doesn’t have to be like you in personality to be adored, cherished, loved, respected, and appreciated.
We all applauded Jillian’s superb reading of the Torah and her touching and powerful “sermon” about the meaning of the Torah portion that speaks about how Joseph was betrayed by his family and didn’t speak to them for decades. But when they needed him, he forgave them. It was a lesson in forgiveness.
A Bar or Bat Mitzvah is a passage for boys and girls at age 13 in the Jewish faith when they become “men” and “women.” Jillian carried herself with such grace and wisdom, and it was obvious that she had worked so hard to achieve the great success she had on her special day.
Sarasota is a sophisticated, pretty town, and our hotel was near the waterfront, which we passed each day. Sami and I spent an afternoon together at the mall and had lunch at Saks Fifth Avenue’s café on the rooftop. It was so special to sit outside and feel the sun on my face as I sipped on a glass of champagne, ate croissants, and cherished the special time with my daughter.
After the Bat Mitzvah service, we all went to the Sarasota Yacht Club for dancing, entertainment and endless fun. The dance floor looked like a scene out of “Saturday Night Live” as the DJ and dancers made the room rock.
It warmed my heart when I saw 12-year-old Hudson, not knowing any of the young people in the room, was taken under the wing of his cousin Ben Broner and the other “big-boy” cousins who danced and sang with him, all bonding and having fun!
I learned that my grandson is a singer. He knew every word of every song that was played by the DJ. We were having so much fun!
It was hard to believe the evening was coming to an end when we all boarded a Sarasota trolley to return to our hotel.
The next morning, 10 of us had a special breakfast at Palm Avenue Deli, relishing and recalling the wonderful weekend.
I wish I could make time stand still so that we could hold onto the moment, but it will live on in my memory, and I will cherish this weekend as one of the most special moments in my life.
I know Stu would have been so proud to see his children celebrating an important time together. We all felt his presence and I like to believe he was up in heaven, smiling down at us because we certainly felt the love of each other that all emanated from Stu.
Happy birthday, Todd
My friend Todd Shapiro showed his power when he celebrated his 60th birthday and 30th anniversary in business with congratulations from Mayor Eric Adams in NYC, County Executive Bruce Blakeman in Nassau, County Executive Ed Romaine in Suffolk and Gov. Kathy Hochul in Albany. That man knows how to party!
Love to you, my dear readers.